Surgical instrument



April 13, 1943- B. A. souTl-IELAND l-:TAL

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April 13, l943- B. A. SUTHERLAND 4E-rm. 2,316,297

SURGICAL INSTRUMENT Original Filed April- 2, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Siwa/MM5 E. /1 .Souffle/Zand 71M Taylor Mmmm;

Patented Apr. 13, 1943 SURGICAL INSTRUMENT Beverly A. Southerland, Charlotte, and Frank V. Taylor, Murphy, N. C.

Reiled for abandoned application Serial No. 386,520, April 2, 1941. This application January 15, 1943, Serial No. 472,521

(Cl. 12S-326) l Claim.

This invention relates to a surgical instrument, the general object of the invention being to provide means for facilitating the tying of blood vessels and arteries, particularly in throat operations, the invention eliminating the use of several other instruments and enabling the operation to be performed by one person without assistance.

The invention also consists in certain other features of construction, combination and arrangement of the several parts, to be hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and specifically pointed out in the appended claim.

In describing the invention in detail reference will be had to the accompanying drawings wherein like characters denote like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, and in which:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinally sectional View through the improved instrument.

Fig. 2 is an elevation thereof.

Fig. 3 is a top plan view thereof.

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional View through the front end of the instrument, with the jaws holding a blood vessel and the tubular parts in their forward positions.

Fig. 5 is a front end view of the instrument.

Fig. 6 is a detail View, partly in section, showing how the movable jaw is connected with the operating rod.

Fig. 7 is an elevation of the front end of the instrument, with the sliding members in their forward positions.

Fig. 8 is a section on line 8--8 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the cutter member.

Fig. l0 is a View of the knot showing the end of the instrument in dot and dash lines.

In these drawings, the numeral I indicates a barrel, which has a lower stationary jaw 2 fastened to its front end and an upper movable jaw 3 is pivoted at II to said front end. A rod 5 is pivoted to a depending ear Ii on the movable jaw and said rod passes through the barrel and has a plunger forming part l on its rear end which slidingly engages the rear part of the lbarrel and projects therefrom. The projecting part has a groove 8 therein which receives the forked upper end of a movable handle 9, which is pivoted at Ill to the stationary handle II which depends from the rear part of the barrel. A spring I2 tends to force the handle 9 away from the handle II and to cause said handle 9 to hold the rod in position with the movable jaw 3 in raised position, as shown in Fig. 1. Latch means shown generally at I3, holds the handle 9 adjacent the handle II with the movable jaw in closed position as shown in Fig. 4. These parts may be of the usual or any desired construction.

A tubular member or barrel I4 ts over the barrel I and is slidably arranged thereon and has an enlarged front end part, which has the upwardly curved hook forming slots I5 in the sides of its front end. The upper portion of the rear part of this member I4 is extended beyond the rear end oct the barrel I and has its rear end turned upwardly to form the thumb piece I6. An eye member I'I is connected with the top part of an intermediate portion of the member I4 and a spring holding clip I8 is fastened to the top of the member I4, in rear of the eye member I'I. A short tubular member I9 is slidably arranged on the enlarged front end of the member I4 and has notches 20 in the sides of its front end, the walls of which are bevelled to form cutting edges, as shown. A rod 2I is connected to the member I9 and extends rearwardly along the bottom of the member I4 to which it is slidably connected by a thumb screw 22 passing through a slot 23 n the rear portion of the rod and entering a threaded hole in the member I4. A depending finger piece 24 is formed on the rear end of the rod and a substantially U shaped clip 25 embraces the lower part of the member I4 and is connected to the nger piece 24 by a screw 26.

In using the instrument, the end of the artery or blood vessel is gripped by the jaws 2 and 3, after the suture indicated in Fig. 10 by the letter A is tied in a loose surgeons knot B around the base of the jaws with the ends passed through the slots I5 and then passed through the eye member II and secured in the clip I8. Then, with the end of the artery held by the jaws, the tubular member I4 is pushed forwardly on the barrel I by pressure against the thumb piece I6, until it latches and when this is done the front end of the member I4 will be located around the jaws, as shown in Fig. 4. The ends of the suture are then removed from the clip I8 and a steady pull exerted upon said ends to cause the knot to tighten around the artery. After this has been done pressure has been applied to the piece 24 to push the tube I9 forwardly so that the knife forming parts 20 will cut the ends of the suture at each side of the knot. Opposite pressure on the piece 24 will return both members I4 and I9 to their original positions and then the jaws can be moved to releasing position.

As before stated, this invention will eliminate the use of several additional instruments now used with the forceps and one person can perform the operation without assistance.

It is thought from the foregoing description that the advantages and novel features of the invention will be readily apparent.

It is to be understood that changes may be made in the construction, combination and arrangement of the several parts, provided such changes fall within the scope of the appended claim.

What we claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

An instrument of the class described comprising an elongated barrel having an enlarged cylindrical forward end provided with rearwardly and upwardly curved slots opening on opposite sides of its forward edge, a stationary handle formed on and depending from the rear portion of said barrel, a thumb piece formed on the rear end of said barrel, a barrel slidably disposed in the first mentioned barrel, a stationary jaw formed on the forward end of said second mentioned barrel, a pivoted jaw secured to the forward end of the second mentioned barrel in opposed relation to the stationary jaw,

a depending ear formed on the pivoted jaw, a plunger slidably disposed in the rear portion of the second mentioned barrel with its rear end projecting therefrom and provided with an annular groove, a rod formed on the plunger and having its forward end pivotally connected to the ear of the pivoted jaw, a handle pivoted on said stationary handle and having a [forked upper end engaging the annular groove in the plunger, ratchet locking means between the handles, an expansion spring between the handles, a tubular member slidably disposed on the enlarged end of the rst mentioned barrel and having forwardly disposed cutting areas in its edge and in alignment with the notches in said barrel, a rearwardly extending rod connected to said tubular member and having a slot formed therein adjacent its rear end, a thumb-screw passing through the slot in said rod and screwed into the second mentioned barrel, a finger piece formed on the rear end of said rod, a clip secured to said rod and partially surrounding the second mentioned barrel, an eye member secured to the second mentioned barrel, and a suture securing clip carried by the second mentioned barrel to the rear of said eye member.

BEVERLY A. SOUTHERLAND. FRANK VQ TAYLOR. 

